Errand
by Veszelyite
Summary: Reload fic. Gojyo and Hakkai and their part-time job, before the start of the journey West. AU elements. Complete.
1. Part 1

**Errand**

A Saiyuki Reload fic

by Veszelyite

DISCLAIMER: They're Minekura-sama's, not mine. This is just an excuse to keep busy until I can get my hands on the next tankoubon. ^_^

A/N: Inspired by random details from Saiyuki Reload Act 3.5

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"Of all the fucking nerve! What do we look like, his fucking errand boys?" Sha Gojyo's loud voice shattered the crystal perfection of an otherwise calm and beautiful winter morning. The words were accompanied by the slamming of a heavy set of double doors, and a shower of white kicked violently off the top of a set of snow-covered steps. "That arrogant monk! Just because he runs that whole damn temple, he thinks he can boss us around!" 

The man standing beside him held up both hands in a placating gesture. "It's all right." Cho Hakkai glanced over at a window by the double doors--the office they had just come from. "Sanzo's just busy today. You know that always puts him in a bad mood."

"Just because he's got paperwork, that's no need to take it out on us," Gojyo snapped. He glowered balefully at the window, as if the structure itself were somehow to blame. "And it's not like it's just today, either. Any time he has some stupid little chore, its 'Go do this', or 'Go do that'. I'm getting heartily sick of it. Why doesn't he just send the stupid monkey for once?"

"Aha ha ha. I really don't think that would be a good idea." Hakkai kept his tone light, and purposefully playful. "You know Goku. His errand would last just until he reached the closest food vendor's stall."

"Hnh. You got that right." Gojyo fished out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, still radiating waves of foul temper. "Still, it's pretty lame that it has to be us all the time."

Hakkai shot him a sidelong look. Then he looked away, out across the slowly drifting snow, as if something of enormous interest in that barren field of white had captured his full attention. After a moment's careful pause, he said, "If its bothersome, you don't have to go. I'm the one who has a debt to pay at the temple."

"Ch," Gojyo stepped down off the top of the stairs, his boots sinking in about two inches of fluffy white powder. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only going 'cause there's a bar in that town that I haven't been to in a while. A guy there owes me some money from an old gambling debt."

"I see," Hakkai's cheerful smile came back immediately. "You should definitely pay him a visit, then." He strode down off the stairs in Gojyo's wake, his face lifted to the clear, cool breeze. "Do you want to go now? It's nice, crisp weather for a trip."

"We don't have any supplies."

"We shouldn't need them, if we leave quickly." Hakkai stopped walking and extracted the map he'd been given from the pocket of his long winter coat. Adjusting the eyeglass over his right eye, he looked down at the tracing of lines. "It's almost noon now. We can get there before nightfall if we find a ride soon."

"Hitch-hiking again?" Gojyo seemed bound and determined to complain about something. "Those damn monks really need to invest in a company car."

"We could always take the bus."

"No. I'm not taking on no friggin' bus."

"Well then," Hakkai started walking again. "I guess you're right, we'll just have to hitch a ride."

When they got to the main road, Hakkai was the one who flagged a passing truck--because, as Gojyo put it, 'You look so damn cute and respectable. Suckers.'. They climbed over the tailgate of the dark blue pickup and settled in the back amid large burlap bags of rice, which shielded them from the wind on all sides. The truck wasn't going all the way to their destination, but would take them to a place that was within a reasonable walking distance if they were unable to find a second ride to take them the rest of the way. They traveled for most of the time in companionable silence. But as they drew closer to their stop, Gojyo began to shift restlessly, craning his head to look over the brown bags around them to see if they'd reached their destination.

"So," the half-youkai said casually, opening up a fresh pack of cigarettes, "Do you think we'll have to fight somebody this time?"

Hakkai responded with a faint smile. "I imagine so. The people we're looking for probably won't be too happy to be found." 

The red-haired man made a non-committal noise in response, and proceeded to light up a cigarette. Hakkai wrapped his coat a little more tightly around himself to keep out the cold, and didn't give the subject any more thought...but after a few minutes, Gojyo broke the silence again.

"You going to fight using just your bare hands again?"

Hakkai's eyebrows lifted slightly at the unexpected question. "I was planning to," he said simply. "Why? You don't like my combat technique?" 

"It's fine for some types of fighting, but not all." Gojyo stood up partway to flick ash from his cigarette over the side of the truck. "Someday someone's gonna come along and skewer you. You really ought to get some sort of weapon if that snotty monk is going to continue to send us after people like this."

A weapon. Automatically, unthinkingly, Hakkai looked down at his hands, neatly folded over the front of his coat. The smooth, pale flesh of those long-fingered hands was clean, unmarked by the crimson that he could see so clearly if he just closed his eyes. He suppressed a shudder that seemed to well up from the depths of his soul. _Not if I can help it. Not ever again._ Aloud, he said lightly, "Perhaps. But as long as Shakujou is close by, I trust there won't be any unfortunate skewering incidents any time soon."

Gojyo only snorted, looking away. But surprisingly, he failed to let the subject drop. "All youkai can summon their chosen weapon. You ought to try and find yours some time."

Hakkai looked at him in surprise. Gojyo rarely made reference to the secrets that they both harbored from their separate pasts. ...Or to the fact that neither of them were fully human. That he would do so now spoke plainly of his concern. Hakkai felt warmth stir in his chest, and allowed it a place in his expression in the form of a fond little smile. 

He could not, however, continue the thread of conversation as it was. Politely, so that Gojyo might possibly overlook it for the deflection that it was, Hakkai said, "when did you first know that you could summon Shakujou?"

"Heh." The red-haired man gave a fierce grin around his cigarette. He looked off into the distance, his expression vaguely nostalgic. "That was a long time ago." He didn't elaborate, but whatever memories he had of the event seemed to be good ones from the look of satisfaction that burned in those crimson eyes.

Hakkai took advantage of the resulting lull in the conversation by pulling out the map again. "We're almost there," he commented, giving the piece of paper his full attention. "Only about five more kilometers." 

"Good," was Gojyo's reply. But his eyes were thoughtful as he glanced over at Hakkai. Ah, so his deflection had been noticed after all. Well, it was enough that Gojyo let the subject lie. They would have other things to think about soon enough.

They weren't able to find a second ride after the driver of the blue pickup dropped them off. But the walk gave them a chance to stretch their legs after being cooped up for a while, and they still managed to reach the town before nightfall. The place was small, barely more than a village. It also only had one inn, which housed the resident bar. 

"I'll get us rooms," Hakkai volunteered. "Do you want to track down that acquaintance?"

"Sure. Got any cash to pay for our stay?"

"Enough. I was able to do quite a bit of tutoring these past few weeks."

"Well, that's lucky." Gojyo gave a disgusted snort. "You know, we really gotta push for some kind of account back at the temple for all these little side-trips. We'd better get reimbursed for our expenses."

"I'm sure we will," Hakkai said cheerily, as he opened the door of the inn for Gojyo to walk through. He stuck his left hand into the pocket of his coat. "I've been saving all our receipts."

While Gojyo went to the common room in search of his gambling partner, Hakkai walked over to the inn's shabby desk and checked in. The place only had two rooms, and one was already occupied, so it looked like he and Gojyo would be sharing again. Well, that would be nothing new. They were roommates already, after all. Hakkai signed the logbook, collected their keys, and headed upstairs to the room.

The place was rather spare, only two beds, a single chair, and a tiny nightstand--but he'd expected that. Hakkai took off his coat, folded it in half, and hung it neatly over the back of the chair. At least the room was clean. He wandered over to turn on the bedside lamp on the nightstand, thinking with regret that they should have stopped back at the house long enough so that he could have picked up something to read. This little town was too small to have its own library. He opened the drawer of the nightstand. The town didn't appear to have a Christian church, either, by the notable absence of a bible. Not that he would have bothered with that--he'd read from it enough as a kid growing up at the orphanage. 

Well, he'd have to go out and get food soon anyway. Gojyo could dine on beer and cigarettes alone (and frequently did), but he ought to have something with some sort of nutrient value, even if it wound up being cold take-out. Hakkai might even be able to pick up a magazine at the same time. 

He reached over, intending to switch the lamp back off, but stopped as a glint of reflected light caught his eye. It came from a shard of a plain quartz crystal, lying on the back edge of the nightstand, by the wall. It looked like something someone might wear in a piece of jewelry--not very expensive, but pretty enough. One of the room's previous occupants must have left it behind. Hakkai picked it up. It didn't look very important, but still, someone might come looking for it. He'd leave it at the front desk on his way out. He turned to collect his winter coat from the chair. 

The attack came from nowhere, between one heartbeat and the next. Hakkai stumbled as a force struck him, a giant, invisible fist wrapping around him from behind, clenching at his chest and driving the air from his lungs. His hands were as if pinned to his sides, although nothing appeared to be holding them there. Invisible cords wound around his throat, efficiently strangling any noise. 

Worst of all was the pressure he felt rapidly building inside the back of his skull. Whatever this power was, it sought to overwhelm him. Hakkai's vision wavered, sliding into blackness shot with glowing sparks, and he dimly felt the floor come up beneath his knees. He struggled to stay conscious, but realized with sudden, utter certainty that he was going to loose that fight.

_You're one of the emissaries from Chou'An, aren't you?_ A voice purred, as clear as if someone stood at his shoulder, whispering in his ear. He heard laughter, in the background. Like the soft, crystalline notes of wind chimes made of glass.

_We've been expecting you._

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	2. Part 2

The cards glided through Gojyo's hands as smoothly as silk, the brightly colored pieces of pasteboard moving as though they were extensions of his own person. He'd shuffled decks so often that he didn't even have to think about it anymore, his hands moved in automatic patterns that he'd long ago learned by heart. Riffle shuffle...ribbon shuffle...cut the deck...interlace the piles. The paper rectangles ticked into place against each other with a warm, satisfying sound. Gojyo grinned around his cigarette, noting that the other three players sitting around the table were watching him like hawks. _Relax, guys. I'm not gonna pull any fast ones on you tonight. _

Gojyo knew all the tricks of the trade, though he hardly ever used them. Certainly he had no need of them with this crowd. These guys couldn't read the flow of the game if it were spelled out in front of them in big black letters on the worn tabletop. It was a little boring...even if the growing pile of cash in front of him was nice. Still, it was just about time for him to throw another round. It wouldn't do to have these jokers getting too paranoid. There was no sense in being called a cheater just because of some lousy card-player's wounded pride.

He squared the cards, preparing to deal the next hand, when a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye attracted his attention. A couple of guys had appeared, hovering just outside the doorway to the common room. Two-bit toughs, by the look of them. Black leather jackets, ripped jeans, and lots of gaudy jewelry. The younger of the two scanned the room. He jerked a little in surprise when his gaze met Gojyo's. The older one noticed, nudged his arm and stepped back, doing his best not to look over in Gojyo's direction. The two of them headed off in the vicinity of the stairs.

Gojyo stared at the space they had vacated with narrowed eyes. He was certain he'd been the one that they'd been looking for just now, and equally certain that he'd never seen either of them before in his life. He put down the deck of cards and slid them over to his left. "I'm gonna sit out this hand. Somebody else can deal."

His words sparked a wave of protest from the other men at the table. But Gojyo only grinned as he stood up and stubbed out his cigarette. "Don't worry. I'm leaving my till with the bartender. You'll have plenty chance to win it all when I get back."

There was nobody at the front desk when Gojyo walked past it, and nobody in the corridor when he reached the top of the stairs, either. Gojyo stood a moment, contemplating the two doors that were the only ones in the inn's short hallway. It would have been nice if Hakkai had bothered to tell him the number of the room where he was staying. Gojyo stepped to the door on the right and tested the handle quietly. It was locked, of course. So was the one on the left. Oh well, Hakkai had gotten really good at smoothing things over with the owners of establishments like this, and there was a 50/50 chance of guessing right the first time. Gojyo drew his foot back, and gave the door in front of him a solid, well-placed kick. 

The door swung violently open, and Gojyo stepped inside and put out a hand to stop it from coming back and hitting him as it rebounded off the wall. There were definitely people in this room. In fact it was the same two guys he'd just seen downstairs. Gojyo drew in a breath, all set to make up some loud, mock-drunk apology about loosing his keys and barging into the wrong room by accident. Then he saw the glint of long knives in their hands, and worse, the crumpled shape at their feet--the familiar white turtleneck and spill of dark brown hair fanned across the floorboards. The words promptly evaporated from his mind. _What the fuck?!!_ Action immediately followed reaction, as Shakujou's reassuring weight materialized in his hands. "I don't think we ordered any fucking room service tonight," he said dangerously.

The younger of the men looked a little panicked. He turned to the other, and hissed in an undertone, "What do we do?" 

The other man kept his eyes on Gojyo. "Doesn't matter," he said, not bothering to keep his voice down. "We're supposed to kill them both, anyway." Casually he reached up, grasping at one of the gold chains that ringed his neck. With a single jerk, he snapped the clasp, and let it fall to the floor at his feet. The younger man's eyes opened wide with shock. Then he gulped in a breath of air and yanked a gold thumb ring from his right hand.

The transformation from human to youkai took only a matter of moments. _Aww, shit._ _I just knew it._ Gojyo held Shakujou diagonally across his body as the two youkai raised their weapons and spread out to either side of him as far as their cramped quarters would allow. The younger one had stopped acting so skittish. In fact, he had begun to move with the calm certainty of one possessed. 

There was something...not very sane, glittering in those dark eyes. 

There wasn't enough clearance in the room to release Shakujou's chain. So Gojyo used the weapon as a pole arm instead, parrying a flurry of slashes that came in from the right and using his weapon's longer reach to keep that knife-wielding youkai at bay. But there were two of them to worry about. Motion telegraphed intent, as the second youkai leaped into the fray. His knife darted forward, cutting a diagonal slash across the front of Gojyo's black shirt as the half-youkai slid back out of reach. The near miss was sobering. These guys weren't playing around; they were seriously trying to kill him. 

Shakujou sliced out, and there was a dull clatter as one of the knives spun across the floor. The disarmed youkai was hardly inconvenienced; he simply ducked inside the arc of Shakujou's blades, vicious talons extended towards Gojyo's throat. The half-youkai blocked the demon's strike with Shakujou's pole, and brought a knee up into his gut. The youkai collapsed, wheezing, and Gojyo turned quickly to deflect a knife-thrust from the other demon. At least their knives were clean. It meant they hadn't had a chance to use them before this. Gojyo doubted that he would have been able to keep a level head if they'd had Hakkai's blood all over them already. The knife-wielding youkai attacked him again, overextending himself this time. Gojyo brought Shakujou's pole down hard on the back of the demon's head, and the youkai crumpled in a motionless heap on the floor.

The remaining youkai had recovered his knife, and leaped at Gojyo with a snarl, bringing the weapon downward in a vicious arc towards the center of Gojyo's chest. The half-youkai swung Shakujou around automatically, and the demon impaled himself on the twin points of the crescent blade. Gojyo lowered the weapon, and the youkai slid to the floor, light already fading from his eyes.

Gojyo stepped over the body to the far side of the room, where Hakkai was lying prone, unmoving. Gojyo rolled him onto his back. Hakkai's face was very pale, but he was breathing and his pulse was steady. Gojyo could find no sign of any injuries except for a bruise along one cheekbone where Hakkai's head had met the floor. A quick shake to one of his shoulders did nothing to rouse him, so Gojyo slapped him lightly on the face. "Hey, it's not time to go to sleep yet, Hakkai. Wake up." But he got no hint of response. 

Something was clutched tightly in Hakkai's right hand. _Clutched tightly? In the fist of an unconscious person?_ Frowning, Gojyo reached out, hesitated a moment, then pried open the clenched fingers. Light glinted off something clear and faceted that dropped from Hakkai's hand and skittered across the floorboards.

Hakkai's eyes snapped wide open on a startled breath. In the next instant, he sat upright so fast that Gojyo had to rock backwards to avoid colliding with him. Relief flooded through the half-youkai. "Damn, don't scare me like that!"

Hakkai swayed a bit, then bent over upraised knees as his shoulders heaved with a deep, shuddering sigh. "Ah," he murmured, pressing an unsteady hand to his forehead, "that was...careless of me." 

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. I think I will be in a moment." Hakkai glanced sideways, and pointed at the clear piece of crystal lying a short distance away on the floor. "Destroy that, please."

"Sure thing." Gojyo stepped over to it. With an efficient flick of his wrist, he reversed his weapon and drove the paddle-like blade of Shakujou's smaller edge down onto the small shard of rock. The quartz shattered into tiny fragments. 

"Thank you." The color was starting to return to Hakkai's face now--apparently accompanied by the return of his equilibrium. He gave an apologetic smile. "It appears that I've been an inconvenience. Sorry to have interrupted your evening."

Gojyo gave a careless shrug. "Don't worry about it. The cards were starting to get boring anyway. I needed a break." 

He was answered by a soft laugh. "And this was a good excuse to get some exercise?" Hakkai's gaze fell on the two bodies on the floor, one of them breathing, one of them, not, and his smile faded. "It's likely that this was how that man was abducted on his way to Chou'An."

"Yeah." Gojyo prodded the dead youkai with one foot. "I bet this is the work of a band of rogue youkai. One of those that don't believe in co-existing peacefully with humans." Crimson eyes met green as he added, "There's probably not much chance that we'll find that high muckety-muck of a monk still alive. I heard downstairs that the two guys traveling with him were already found dead a couple of days ago."

"That's unfortunate. According to the ransom demand, we should have had three more days," Hakkai looked over at the white powder that marked the remains of the crystal shard. "But it seems that these kidnappers are not very straightforward in their methods. They already knew that we were coming. They must also have known that they weren't going to be given what they demanded."

There was the sound of hesitant footsteps on the stairs, and both men looked over towards the open doorway. "We've been quiet so long that they've finally gotten brave enough to see what's going on," Hakkai observed dryly. He shot Gojyo a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I'll handle this."

The incident proved easier to smooth over than Gojyo had hoped. Apparently this wasn't the first youkai attack that had occurred in the area. Aside from the missing monk, which they had already known about, there had also been three other incidents involving kidnappings or deaths. All of them had occurred within the past month, and all of the targets had been human. It wasn't too hard to pinpoint who was behind the attacks. A group of youkai had moved into the area a short time ago, lead by some sort of youkai sorceress. They'd made their presence known by kidnapping the daughter of the town's leader, holding her hostage as insurance to prevent the town from seeking outside help. Like most groups of youkai that moved in and took control of territory like this, they demanded a tribute from the town in the form of foodstuffs and supplies. A failure to meet these requirements a few weeks ago had resulted in the murder of a handful of townsfolk, and the people here had been very careful not to do anything to make them angry ever since.

"Sounds like a familiar pattern," Gojyo commented, when they finally returned to the room later that night. The place had been cleaned and the lock on the door had been repaired. It looked like nothing at all had happened here. Even the remnants of the crystal had been carefully swept off the floor. Gojyo kicked off his boots and flopped down onto one of the beds. "Power-hungry types are pretty predictable whenever they start to set up shop in these backwater towns."

Hakkai frowned at that. "Predictable except to the point where they got a major Buddhist temple involved." He hung up his coat on the hook behind the door, and took off his shoes before walking over to the opposite bed. "Sanzo never told us what they wanted for the ransom."

Gojyo only shrugged. "Something that would give them more power, of course."

"I suppose so." Hakkai didn't look entirely convinced. "Still, it seems like a pretty bold move for people who are otherwise keeping a low profile. Even if it's something that they wanted very badly, it doesn't make a lot of sense to draw so much outside attention all at once."

Gojyo mulled that one over for a minute. "Maybe it was just an opportunity," he said at last. "High-ranking monks don't go wandering out to visit other temples every day. It could be that it was too good a chance to pass up."

Both of them slept lightly during the night, but no other assassins turned up to attack them in their sleep. The next morning they set out early. Their path was easy to follow, once it had been pointed out to them by a couple of nervous townsfolk. The way had been well worn in the snow by the repeated passage of many youkai feet. 

"Gojyo," Hakkai said thoughtfully, as the town receded behind them in the distance, "how common is it for youkai to have supernatural abilities?"

Gojyo shrugged. "I dunno." They'd never had to fight a youkai magic-user on any of the jobs they'd done before, and no one in his own family had ever shown any particular magical ability. The half-youkai frowned, thinking it over. "I don't think it's very common."

"I don't think so, either."

They continued walking, and Gojyo stuck his hands in the pockets of his coat as he tried to think of any useful information that he'd ever heard about youkai magic in the past. He became so absorbed in his own thoughts that he never stopped to wonder about the thick silence that had fallen, until a passing sideways glance made him realize the reason for it. Hakkai's eyes had turned inward, and his features had become very calm. Too calm...too controlled. Gojyo knew that look. It immediately made him wonder, with a surge of unease, how many magic-using youkai Cho Gonou had faced on that rainy night nearly two years ago. He'd faced one, at the very least. Hyakugen Mao hadn't earned his name as a centipede demon for nothing. 

_Shit._ Hakkai had seemed okay after the problem with that strange crystal. But the situation had to be bothering him a lot if he was making himself start to think about crap like that right now. Gojyo spoke up quickly, to draw Hakkai back to the current situation before he could lose him to the bottomless mire of that dark past. "So how are two guys with no magic supposed to take on a sorceress?"

Hakkai blinked a moment as if thrown off-guard by the question. Then a half-cheerful, half-embarrassed smile spread across his features, making his previous expression vanish as if it had never even been there. "Really, I have no idea."

He was getting so damn good at covering for those dark moments; it was starting to get a little unnerving. But at least he was back in the present again. Gojyo growled at him good-naturedly, and reached for a cigarette. "Ch. You're no help at all. Couldn't you say something useful, like if you see some magic coming get out of the way?"

Hakkai chuckled at that. "Sounds like good advice."

"Damn right it is." Gojyo blew out a stream of smoke into the chilly air. After a few minutes, he spoke up again, "I never had to fight a woman before. I wonder if she's cute."

Hakkai laughed lightly. "Why, Gojyo, I do believe it sounds like you're planning to charm her into surrendering."

"Nah. She's probably just some old hag, anyway." Gojyo crested the top of the next snow-covered rise, and abruptly came to a halt. "Huh? What's this?"

A strange-looking building had come into view at the bottom of the hill. It was huge, covering most of the valley floor. The entire thing was one big dome, composed of triangular plates of dark-colored glass. Gojyo would have expected the top to be covered with snow like the roofs of ordinary buildings, but the glass plates were devoid of any trace of ice or snow. They glittered like the facets of some huge gemstone in the light of the bright morning sun.

"Well, it looks like this is the place. Where do you suppose they hid the door?"

Hakkai, however, wasn't looking at the dome. Instead he was glancing to the left of them, at one of the two groves of evergreen trees that bracketed the top of the rise. "I'm afraid we'll have to worry about it later," he observed in a level voice. "It appears that our approach has been noticed." Gojyo followed the direction of his gaze, and saw dark shapes starting to move out from the shadows and into the sun. 

"Nice hosts, to send such a welcoming party," Gojyo said. He felt an anticipatory grin spread across his features, and he flicked the remaining end of his cigarette down into the snow. "I guess it's about time we go over an introduce ourselves in person."

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A/N: I'll try and keep this brief, so that the notes don't get to be longer than the story. *bows* Sincere thanks to all the kind people who have left reviews. Zimus, SeaGull, and Chiefraz: Glad you like the premise. The subject of how certain characters got their weapons/abilities certainly isn't new in fanfic--but hopefully this little fic will offer a little bit of a different perspective from the creative works of others. Black-ocean, Attiquah Gensui: I hope you didn't get too impatient waiting for the next part! UltraM2000: *laugh* No fair! You were over there when Reload 3 came out! Oh well, air-mail is a wonderful thing. -_^ ...And you're perceptive as always at discerning the direction of the plot. RaichuTec, Nightfall Rising: This chapter was definitely next on my project list. Unfortunately it doesn't have nearly as interesting a cliffhanger as chapter one. YunCyn, krimson: Those are wonderful comments. Thanks so much for the feedback! Blades of Ice: Glad the story captures your interest. That you'd consider making up a chapter of your own while waiting for the next part is quite a compliment. ^_^ Thanks for reading, everyone! -V 


	3. Part 3

Gojyo dismissed Shakujou. 

As the winding streamers of mist dissipated, he dusted off his hands on his black jeans and surveyed the eight youkai sprawled out around them on top of the churned-up snow. The area under some of the bodies was stained red with blood, while the snow beneath others remained pristine white. Regardless of how their adversaries had been struck down, none of them would be moving again any time soon. "I guess these guys weren't so tough, after all."

The youkai attackers who had been waiting for them in the grove of evergreens had underestimated them badly. Hakkai would have thought that the sorceress in charge, who had already figured out that they were here on orders from the Sanbutushin at Chou'An, would have been more prepared for their arrival--but apparently not. The fight had taken just under a minute, and none of the attacking youkai had managed to land a single hit on either of them. 

Hakkai bent down beside the nearest body, smiling in response to the disappointment he heard in Gojyo's voice. "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure this isn't all of them." He came up a moment later with a ring of keys in his hand, which he held up cheerfully for Gojyo's inspection. "At least they've provided us with a way in."

Gojyo stuck his hands in the pockets of his winter coat, his crimson gaze narrowed as he scanned the snow. There was no question at all about which direction they should follow. Tracks had packed a nice little path in the sheet of white powder, leading to the northern edge of the circular dome. "Awfully damn convenient, to send out house keys with the welcoming party."

Hakkai responded with a smile. "Yes. After such a thoughtful gesture, it would be rude to keep them waiting. Shall we go?" 

They followed the trail down to the side of the glass building. But as they started to walk around the circumference, Gojyo slowed and then stopped. "Y'know, I bet they'll be expecting us to go in by the front door." 

"That's true," Hakkai said, stopping beside him.

"...And it would be kinda stupid for us to do exactly what they expect, even if they are a bunch of wimps."

"It would."

Gojyo kicked at a mound of snow, clearing off the large rock underneath. "What is it that they say about people who live in glass houses?"

Hakkai gave him a sidelong look, catching the implications immediately. "...That they shouldn't throw stones?"

"Yeah, that's the one." Gojyo picked up the rock, walked the ten paces forward to the side of the building, and then heaved it through one of the large glass plates. The glass imploded as the rock struck, dark shards raining onto the carpeted floor of the room beyond.

"That was effective," Hakkai said approvingly.

The comment earned him an abbreviated bow. "Saankyu." Gojyo used the heel of his boot to clear the remaining jagged edges away from the metal frame. "It seems like these guys haven't been in this business very long. They're pretty clueless about defense."

Before Hakkai could tender any sort of reply, a wave of vertigo struck him. He stayed very still, bracing himself against the wash of lightheadedness. This wasn't the first time he'd felt this dizziness--the first bout had hit him last night, right after Gojyo had woken him up from the nasty little trap that had been stored in that spelled quartz crystal. Originally he had thought it was just an aftereffect of the trap. But by now he wasn't so sure. He caught his breath as his eyesight wavered, skewing slightly, as if his perception had momentarily changed. He squeezed his eyes shut, and then blinked them open again, waiting for the odd sensation to fade.

Gojyo looked back in time to catch Hakkai rubbing at his temples for the second time that morning. This time, he didn't let it pass. "Oi, did the sun get in your eyes?"

Recovering himself, Hakkai just smiled and waved him off. "It's nothing," he said breezily. It had to be nothing. Certainly it wasn't any sort of attack. It was too subtle, and didn't match the pattern that their adversaries had been using. Far more likely that it was the precursor to a headache, or the beginnings of a cold.

Gojyo didn't look like he believed the offhand explanation for a minute. But he chose not to pursue the subject. The half-youkai had never been one to pry into Hakkai's business, relying on the knowledge that Hakkai would tell him things in his own time if there were anything that Gojyo needed to know. That unspoken trust had been a defining part of their friendship from the very beginning. Hakkai was grateful for it. 

He followed close behind Gojyo as the half-youkai stepped through the hole in the outer wall of the dome. The room they entered was, of all things, a small, tidy library. Shoulder-high shelves packed with books and scrolls lined the sidewalls, and a large table took up the center of the room. There were only four chairs, indicating that it was probably a personal library rather than one for general use. There had to be over two hundred books here. 

Hakkai couldn't help himself. Half-entranced, he stepped over to the nearest bookcase. The shelves were predominated by titles pertaining to geography, geology, and magic. "These look useful," he murmured. Magic and geology he could have guessed, from the nature of the trap that had been left for them back at the inn room. But to find books on geography intrigued him, and made him wonder where this group of youkai had originally lived before they'd decided to set up shop here.

"Hey," Gojyo said sharply from behind him, "don't forget why we're here. We don't have time to mess around."

Hakkai fingered the bindings of the books in front of him, tracing the gold-lettered spines. "Yes, you're probably right," he sighed. 

He started to pull away reluctantly, then stopped as a glint of white toward the back of one of the lower shelves caught his eye. Curious, he crouched down to get a better look. A moment later, he reached back and hooked his fingers around the lattice of a small wicker cage, then rose to his feet and walked it over the table. The cage was just barely large enough to contain a little, scaled reptile curled up in the bottom, eyes closed and white leathery wings tucked up fast against its sides. 

It was a dragon.

Even Gojyo paused at this turn of events. "It doesn't look too good," he said, poking at the wicker cage. "Youkai are supposed to ride these things, but this one looks way too small. Do you think they were going to eat him?"

"Who knows," Hakkai replied, his attention focused on the ring of keys that he had already pulled out of his pocket, thumbing through them until he found a small silver one that looked about the right size to fit the lock on the cage. The lock sprang open, and Hakkai worked it free of the wicker, opening the door. But the little dragon hardly twitched. Ribs showed up starkly under the patterning of fine scales.

"Not much of a meal there," Gojyo observed. "It looks half-starved."

"Well, then, we should probably give it some food."

"What do you think it eats?"

"Well, reptiles eat lots of things," Hakkai answered absently, fishing around in the pockets of his long winter coat, his voice slipping almost unconsciously into the cadence he used with his students. "Some eat green plants or insects. I suspect bigger dragons probably eat fresh meat. But unfortunately, we don' t have any of that right now." Finding what he'd been searching for, Hakkai set a roll of rice crackers, an apple, and a packet of jerky down on the surface of the table.

Gojyo frowned. "Since when have you started stocking a portable kitchen?"

Hakkai's mouth twitched up, although his gaze didn't leave the little dragon. "With our circle of friends? You have to ask?" 

"Ch. That small amount wouldn't keep Goku occupied for five minutes." Gojyo's eyes fell on the closed door that led out of the library. "Well, if you're going to feed it, make it quick. We'll probably be getting company any time now."

The little dragon uncurled on its own at the scent of food. The jerky was a bit too tough for it to handle; and the rice crackers, while palatable, were apparently not the preferred food. Instead, the little dragon fell to work on the apple, devouring bite-sized pieces so quickly that Hakkai was afraid it might choke. "I'm sorry, Dragon-san," he said apologetically, when the apple had been stripped to the core. "I'm afraid that's all there is."

"Pii." The creature chirped, craning its neck up to stare at him with bright red eyes.

"Feeding time's over," Gojyo said, his patience obviously wearing thin. "C'mon, Hakkai."

"Ah." Hakkai rubbed the back of his neck as he regarded the dragon self-consciously. "I'm afraid we have to go rescue somebody now. You probably should leave here while you still have the chance."

The little dragon climbed clumsily out of its cage and stretched its wings. Apparently the food had done some good, because it proceeded to launch itself up into the air. As Hakkai and Gojyo looked on; it winged its way gingerly around the room twice. Both times it paused to hover in the air in front of the hole in the broken glass wall that led to the outside, but it didn't leave. To Hakkai's surprise, it came back over and settled without hesitation onto the left-hand shoulder of his winter coat. 

The dragon's weight was about the same as that of a small cat. Its neck curved down beneath his chin and its tail draped across his back as it settled itself more comfortably in place. It was a very strange sensation, to have a dragon perched on one's shoulder. Somehow Hakkai found it oddly appropriate.

"Don't tell me you're taking it with us," Gojyo said.

"Well," Hakkai answered mildly, "we can't just leave it here. And it doesn't seem to like the cold. It probably wouldn't survive very long outside in the middle of winter."

"...And that means we should baby-sit? That thing won't last five seconds the next time we run into a bunch of youkai."

Hakkai considered that. The creature would be in danger if it stayed on his shoulder, not to mention that its presence could seriously hamper his fighting technique. "You're right, of course," he said to Gojyo. He turned his head and regarded the little creature on his shoulder with a polite smile. "Dragon-san, if there's a fight, you'll have to go away and hide for a bit, okay?"

"Kyuu."

The corridor beyond the library door curved away to the left and to the right of them, following the contours of the outer wall of the dome. It was composed of panes of the same dark material as the glass outside. It also turned out to be completely deserted. The only noise they could hear was the sound of their own footsteps echoing back at them from the opaque walls. 

"Did we surprise them that much by coming in from the side?" Gojyo wondered aloud.

They made their way silently through the maze of deserted corridors, keeping track of the twists and turns as they worked their way closer to the center of the dome. After a little while, the hallway they were walking down dead-ended in a large set of double doors that appeared to be constructed of polished obsidian. The lintels on either side were lined with haphazardly stacked pieces of clear quartz, which flickered in the light of two lamps on either side of the door. The convex wall around the door was made of black glass, interspersed with triangular tiles of polished black marble. 

"I'd say this is the place."

As Gojyo spoke, the doors swung ponderously open. Hakkai took the momentary opportunity as they were in motion to step over to one of the lamp stands, and gently nudged the white dragon off his shoulder and onto the horizontal surface of the brass pedestal supporting the lamp. "Stay there, please, Dragon-san," he said, feeling oddly as if he were giving instructions to some sort of strange dog. "Please don't be concerned. We'll come back here when this is over."

"Kyuu."

The heavy doors clanged to a halt with an air of resounding finality. Gojyo and Hakkai stepped through the open doorway.

The room they entered was a miniature version of the glass dome that enclosed this whole place. Curved black walls arose to a center-point a good fifteen meters above the black marble floor. At the center of the room about twenty meters from the doorway was a circular dais, surrounded by six pedestals composed of different types of minerals--lapis, onyx, malachite, jade, agate, and rose quartz. On top of each rested a bowl made of the same material. At the center of the dais was a throne made of solid crystal, and on the throne was a youkai woman, dressed in jewel-toned silks and wearing a collection of about fifteen amulets, all made of semi-precious stones. On either side of her stood a youkai wearing armor. Other youkai, armed but more poorly equipped, were ranged on the floor below the dais.

More to the point of their mission was the shaven-headed man dressed in monks robes, chained to the floor at the foot of the throne. This must be the person they were looking for. Sanzo had mentioned that he was a high-ranked paper-pusher at one of the other temples. ...A paper-pusher much like another high-ranking monk they knew, Hakkai had observed at the time, to Sanzo's annoyance and Gojyo's delight. Truthfully, however, it would be hard to imagine someone who looked less like Sanzo. This man appeared to be the kind who hadn't ventured beyond the temple walls since he was an apprentice. He was old, slightly overweight, and currently quivering with terror--the last of which being rather understandable under the circumstances. Monastic bureaucrats normally didn't get kidnapped and held for ransom by groups of hostile youkai. 

"Greetings," the youkai sitting on the throne said, favoring them with an unpleasant smile. "I knew you'd come."

Hakkai returned the smile cheerfully. "Yes. And since you already know why we're here, why don't you just make this easy on everyone and let us have what we came for?"

The woman ignored Hakkai's words, her eyes resting on him thoughtfully. "I was very surprised to find out that you were still alive. There was enough power stored in that crystal I left in your room that you should have died when you touched it. How interesting."

"Look, lady," Gojyo spoke up, "It was a long walk to get here, and it'll be a long walk back. So don't waste our time. Release the monk so we can go and nobody gets hurt."

The youkai woman laughed. "_You're_ threatening _me_? I hardly think that's appropriate under the circumstances. You both fight well; you've proven that already. But here you're on my turf, outnumbered by more than ten to one." Her voice abruptly lost its amused tone. "I am giving you your only opportunity to surrender. Understand that it's the Sanzo priest in the temple down the road that has what I want. I'll kill and keep killing his servants until he chooses to come and challenge me in person."

"Hey!" Gojyo said indignantly, "Just who are you calling servants? We don't have to take that kind of crap!"

"Oh, I don't know," Hakkai said to the sorceress softly in response to her earlier statement, measuring up the youkai force that filled the room. "Most of these guys don't look so tough. I think we may have pretty good odds after all."

Fury filled the woman's eyes. "You just lost your one chance to live," she spat. "Now my followers will rip you to shreds." She gestured with one hand, and the youkai surrounding them began to close in.

Hakkai took up a defensive stance. Beside him, Gojyo summoned Shakujou. Before the front rank of youkai could reach them, however.... 

"Halt!" 

As quickly as the youkai had started, they immediately stopped their advance. The sorceress slowly uncoiled from her throne, staring narrowly at Gojyo.

"You're a youkai," she murmured in enlightenment, as her eyes traveled from the half-youkai's hair down to his hands, curled around Shakujou. Then she looked over at Hakkai, searching from head to foot and back again, until her gaze fell on the silver bands adorning his left ear. Then her eyes lit with sudden understanding. "You're _both_ youkai."

Suddenly, she threw back her head and laughed--wild cackles of glee that seemed vastly inappropriate to the situation. The laughter echoed, the vibrations amplifying as it bounced off glass and crystal, until some of her youkai followers actually covered their ears. 

Gojyo and Hakkai merely exchanged glances. "She's lost it," Gojyo muttered.

"I agree," Hakkai replied in an undertone. "Perhaps the stress was too much. Not everyone is cut out for this kind of job, after all."

The laughter cut off as abruptly as it had begun. As the echoes died away, the youkai lowered her head to gaze at them. There was an anticipatory--no, a triumphant smile on her face, as she reached for one of the many pendants that hung around her neck.

"Ah, but that makes things so _easy_...."

+++++ 

A/N: Heh. XD actually beat me to a Jeep story, posted yesterday. (Cute fic, XD!) Also, I didn't realize that there was actually a cannon version of Jeep's backstory already printed in the Saiyuki novels. Oh well, I guess that makes this fic an official AU rather than simply being wild fanauthor speculation. ^_^ A happy wave goes out to wonderful reviewers of this little fic, and some individual responses as well. Lizalou42: *bows* You're welcome. And your comment on the unconscious youkai was very interesting. That plot thread originally *did* have a more complete resolution. However, it was cut during editing to streamline the chapter. Since Minekura-sama never deals directly with the aftermath of "nameless youkai" fights, the cut didn't seem too out of place, although perhaps a softer cut with some hints about what had happened would have been better. Blades of Ice: Thanks for the comments. I hope your headache went away quickly! Black-ocean: Thanks, as always, for the encouragement. I'm glad you keep reading! Chiefraz: Heh. Not for much longer, at least. Only one chapter and an epilogue left to go. ^_^ Attiqah Gensui: Hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too long! I'm afraid yours truly was a little internet-limited during the holidays.... SeaGull: Excellent, glad to hear that chapter 2 was okay. About your question--Hakkai's comment certainly could be interpreted that way. Although, to say something "dryly" usually implies humor, so it was actually meant to be more of a reflection on the fact that nobody ever comes to help them/stop them whenever they get into fights in populated areas. ^_^ Nightfall Rising: *bows* Thank you. Your review (and the specific comments) was very much appreciated. Hakkai's voice usually seems pretty clear in my head during writing--I guess it's not too hard to tell who a fan author's favorite(s) is/are. ^_^ UltraM2000: Heh. Well, this *is* an action/adventure fic. Gotta have lots of fight choreography (more to come, of course). Thanks for the review. BranBlack: Glad you liked the story! And thanks again for reading, everyone. -V


	4. Part 4

"Ah," the youkai sorceress purred, her voice filled with self-satisfaction, "but that makes things so _easy_...."

Gojyo glared across the intervening space, ignoring the thirty-or-so youkai that stood between him and the woman on the dais at the center of the domed room. This chick was starting to piss him off. So she had recognized that he and Hakkai were youkai, big deal. That was no reason for her to get cocky. Her words didn't even make sense. Everyone knew that youkai were stronger, not weaker, than ordinary humans. He tightened his grip on Shakujou. "Don't take us so lightly!" he snapped. "What makes you think this is going to be easy?"

She favored him with a feral smile, and caressed the stone talisman lying in the palm of her hand. It appeared to be carved, but from this distance, Gojyo couldn't make out what it was supposed to be. "You should be honored, that I've decided to use this little toy. I've been saving it up until now, just in case there was ever a shortage of...converts...to our cause."

"And what would that be?" Hakkai spoke up beside him, his tone all polite inquiry. Stalling for time, Gojyo realized. Trying to get as much information as possible before the youkai woman attacked and they were forced to kill her. 

"You'll find out soon enough." She turned the amulet so that its carved edges caught the light. "As you've already discovered, I have a gift for storing power inside the matrix of stone." Her eyes flickered up to rest on Hakkai. "You will find, however, that this piece is quite different from the quartz shard that you encountered yesterday."

She took a few steps forward to the edge of the marble dais, stopping between the two closest pedestals, blue stone to the left and gray to the right. She pulled the amulet she was holding off over her head, and held it out, wrapping its silver chain around her hand. "This piece of crystal was a gift, given to me during my recent travels through India. Through Tenjiku, to be exact. It was designed with just this sort of purpose in mind." She smiled coldly at them. "I think it's time that someone reminded you where your true loyalties should lie."

She released the energy trapped in the amulet. Gojyo didn't see anything, didn't _hear_ anything. But he felt it, a sense of sudden power that swept over him, like a shadow passing over the sun. For a moment that was all there was to it, a brief chill, a shiver down the spine.

...And then, suddenly, understanding blossomed in his mind, like a bonfire flaring to life in the dead of night, illuminating that which could not previously be seen. Instantaneous knowledge that he had not been aware of, that he had not known he had missed until this very moment, came to him with absolute clarity.

All this time he had been hiding, denying what he was, denying his youkai nature. He had buried it in a pitiful attempt to build a meager human existence. He had a human income, a human house, and human friends. And for what? Humans were weaklings, they were nothing. He was strong, much stronger than they would ever be. It came as something of a revelation, how easy it would be to set aside his fake human guise, and revel in the power of being youkai.

His youkai blood sang with anticipation. The time for denial was over. He would be the person he was meant to be. The power that was his birthright was there at his fingertips. All he had to do was take off his limiters, and....

_That_ absurd thought stopped him cold. _I don't _wear_ fucking limiters. What the hell?!!_

His mind cleared abruptly, as if he had been doused with a bucket of icy water. He raised his head, unclenched his hands from where they had been tangled in his hair. It was wrong, he realized. Whatever power had invaded his thoughts, it had gotten things completely wrong. He had never denied what he was--had never dyed his hair, or worn contact lenses to change the color of his eyes. Because that was the easy way out, and Gojyo had never been the naive kind of person who could be tricked into believing the easy way and the best way were the same thing.

If he encountered people who recognized what his hair and eyes meant, who hated him for the mix of human and youkai blood in his veins, well that was just their tough luck. He'd fight them if they came after him; hurl insults right back if they chose to call him names. But he'd never run from them--just as he'd never run from his own face when it stared back at him from the mirror. He accepted both what he was and what he symbolized. In the absence of fear, he had no need of denial.

A person's own fear was what made them a victim. He'd had enough of that shit back when he'd been a kid. He refused to be a victim anymore.

As he shook off the last traces of the amulet's stored power, he became aware of Hakkai's presence again. The other man was down on one knee, his head bowed and his shoulders set with the strain of fighting off the spell. The wrist of his left hand was locked firmly in his right, holding it away from the silver bands of the limiters clipped to the outer edge of his ear. His entire frame was tensed with the effort of refusing to give in. Gojyo didn't even want to guess what might be going on in his head right now.

He stepped in front of Hakkai, as if by doing so he could shield him from whatever this magic was. If he'd been pissed before, he was furious now. "What the hell are you trying to do to us?" he snarled at the youkai woman.

"I?" the sorceress replied archly. "I am doing nothing. I'm simply allowing your true natures to assert themselves."

"It's rather arrogant, isn't it?" Hakkai's voice, menacingly soft, spoke from behind him. 

Gojyo looked back over his shoulder immediately, to see the other man slowly getting to his feet, holding both hands away from his body with exaggerated care. Relief flooded through him. "Hakkai!"

Hakkai wasn't looking at him. He was focused on the sorceress, dangerously intent. "It's pretty arrogant to assume that you know anything about our true natures, when you don't even know us at all. Don't you think?"

The sorceress' eyes widened. She took a few faltering steps back, reaching out to lay a trembling hand on the armrest of her throne, as if she were suddenly in need of its support. "It isn't possible! How can you fight it? How can you stand against this power?!" 

Gojyo bared his teeth in a humorless smile. "Didn't I warn you not to take us lightly?"

The sorceress didn't waste time replying. Instead, she pointed a single, shaking finger in their direction. "Kill them!"

The spell that had been in the amulet had caused a drastic change in all of her youkai followers. They seemed to have become more savage, more feral. Their eyes, instead of glinting with anticipation at the challenge of battle, now glowed with hunger and bloodlust. They flexed their claws, bared their teeth, or licked their lips in the anticipation of a slaughter. The intensity of their hunger was a little unnerving, and it made Gojyo suddenly glad that he'd managed to fight off the power from the amulet on his own.

The youkai charged forward.

Gojyo's focus narrowed until he became aware of nothing in the world but the enemies directly in front of him and Hakkai's solid presence on his right. As the foremost pair of youkai lunged, Shakujou's chain shot out, the silver crescent cutting one nearly in half and slashing open the throat of the second. Then three more were upon him, and he was forced to deflect several sword blows with Shakujou's pole before he got enough of an opening to decapitate the swordsman with Shakujou's paddle blade. By then the crescent had snapped back into place, and Gojyo spun it around to take down three more youkai in a row.

Hakkai was a blur of smooth motion, blocking and striking with a ruthless efficiency that belied the congenial smile on his lips. Each time he attacked, a youkai fell--whether it was the heel of a hand crushing a nose, the snap of a fist to the chest, the chop of a hand at the back of the neck, or the point of an elbow into the soft tissue just below the ribcage. Gojyo grinned and let the adrenalin surge through him as he focused on his own fight, knowing he didn't have to worry about Hakkai.

It was over in a matter of minutes. Gojyo casually dispatched his last two attackers. However, just as he was lowering Shakujou, he heard a sharp "Look out!" from the right. He caught a glitter of light out of the corner of his eye and dodged out of the way just in time. Fragments of sharp blue rock embedded themselves in the floor where he had been standing only a moment before.

His gaze tracked to the sorceress. She looked furious, and even as he watched, he saw her gesture sharply. More fragments of that blue stone rose from the bowl on one of the six pedestals surrounding the dais, collecting over her hand. She jabbed her finger forward and the razor-sharp fragments flew across the room at them. They were forced to take evasive action yet again.

Now the two brutes in armor, who had stood motionless on the dais throughout the combat, were finally advancing. Youkai weapons coalesced in their hands as they walked forward, taking the shape of a long pole arm for one and a heavy mace for the second. They brandished them aggressively, yelling at the tops of their lungs as they charged.

They weren't even a challenge. The weight of the armor slowed them, and while it protected vital areas like the chest and stomach, the joints were open to attack. Gojyo's opponent went down when he made the mistake of exposing his vulnerable left side. Hakkai's opponent hit the floor a moment later with the clatter of metal, his windpipe crushed.

The woman stared at her fallen champions in disbelief, before raising her head to look at them, impotent rage burning in her slit-pupiled eyes. "I underestimated the two of you," the sorceress hissed, "I never foresaw that things might turn out this way. I've made a mistake, one that I deeply regret." 

Her taloned hand tightened on the arm of her throne. "I will have my revenge for this eventually. The power from Tenjiku may not have taken hold in you this time, but just you wait. Your day is coming. Before long, this dark aura will sweep across the continent in an unstoppable wave, and no one, not even you, will be able to stand against it."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Hakkai replied with a cheerful smile. "Now that we know what to guard against, I have a feeling it really won't be a problem for us again."

The youkai woman only snarled in response, and held up her hand once more. Crystals from the smoky quartz bowl flew towards her and began to collect over her palm.

"Oh no, not this time," Gojyo snapped. Shakujou's chain whipped out before the jagged shards had finished gathering. The youkai woman barely had time to look up at the rushing noise the crescent made, before it caught her full in the chest, the twin points sinking deep into her flesh. 

But it seemed that she hadn't intended to cast the quartz pieces at them, after all. Instead the crystals had fused together over her hand, molding into a long shard of stone. She laughed, even as she fell to her knees on the dais. Blood seeped through the silken material of her gown and bubbled past her lips. "You...still...loose," she gasped with her last breath, and drove the shard of crystal downward, into the chest of the human monk they had been sent to find, who was still chained helplessly to the floor by the side of the crystal throne.

"No!" Hakkai's sharp cry of denial could do nothing at all to change the scene in front of them, as the monk slumped forward, and both he and the sorceress collapsed to sprawl on the cold marble floor. 

It took only a matter of seconds to cross the now-empty room to where the monk lay. But even seconds took too long, judging by the pool of blood that was forming under the body. The quartz shard had pulled free as the man fell, leaving a large gash torn open in the tan robes, and a raw hole, welling crimson, in the flesh in the middle of the monk's chest. Gojyo stared down at it and cursed. "We screwed up big time on this one," he muttered. "Sanzo's gonna shoot us for sure."

Hakkai was already kneeling on the ground beside the monk, feeling for a pulse at the man's neck. "No," he said unexpectedly, his gaze focusing intently on the downed man, "he's still alive."

Gojyo looked at him, incredulous. "Really?"

"The stone shard hit the side of the heart, but it didn't rupture it." Hakkai's voice sounded a little strange. "The worst damage is to the right lung. It has collapsed, and is filling with blood."

"Shit. You can tell that just by looking?"

"No," Hakkai replied distantly, distractedly. "I just know." He leaned forward, reaching out towards the wound, a frown of concentration on his face. Before he could touch damaged tissue, brilliant light flared to life under his palm.

Hakkai's hand jerked involuntarily as he caught his breath in surprise. But he made no move to withdraw it. Instead he extended his hand until it hovered only centimeters away from the still bleeding wound, bathing the flesh in verdant light. As Gojyo watched, the bleeding slowed to a trickle, and then stopped. The edges of the stab wound pulled together, and gradually began to close. The unconscious monk shivered once, then his chest rose, ribcage expanding as he drew in a deep breath.

The green light faded away, as if it had never existed. There was still a wound, a nasty, scabbed spot surrounded by red, inflamed skin. But it looked like it had been healing for weeks, rather than inflicted only a few minutes ago. "Shit. What the hell was that?"

Hakkai sank back on his heels, absently raising a hand to rub at his temples. His face was pale, and he looked pretty shaky, like he'd just woken up with the mother of all hangovers. He gave a nervous little laugh. "I don't know. I'm afraid I've been feeling a bit strange all morning. Perhaps this was why." 

Gojyo stepped over to the other body, to make sure that the youkai woman was dead. She was, her slit-pupiled eyes staring sightlessly up at the dome. The silver chain of the amulet she had used earlier was still wound around her right hand. Gojyo looked down at the piece of carved crystal strung from it, lying smoked and blackened on the floor. Now that he was closer, he recognized its shape as that of a chess piece. It was one of the little ones, the smallest ones on the board.

Hakkai stepped forward, and used the edge of his sleeve to unwind the object from the woman's lax grip without touching the crystal directly. He looked at it thoughtfully. "A pawn." His gaze fell on the dead sorceress. "I wonder whose?"

"Someone who plays chess." Gojyo looked at it, feeling faintly uneasily. "Do you think she was telling the truth?"

Hakkai glanced at him curiously. "About what?"

"About that brainwashing stuff sweeping the continent?"

"I don't know." Hakkai was frowning as he tucked the chess piece away inside the pocket of his coat. "I hope not."

The sound of wings made them both look up. The little white dragon they had freed earlier flew across the room and landed without hesitation on the shoulder of Hakkai's coat. Hakkai greeted it by stroking its feathery mane. "Hello there, Dragon-san. I'm glad to see that you're safe." The dragon gave an enthusiastic cheep, and let Hakkai scratch its chin.

Gojyo looked down at the supine form of the unconscious monk, nudging him with the toe of one boot. "So I guess we're gonna have to carry this guy all the way back to town, huh."

Before Hakkai had a chance to reply, the little white dragon startled them both by launching itself from Hakkai's shoulder again. It circled twice, like a dog getting ready to take a nap, and then it changed. One moment the little flying lizard was there, the next there was a large jeep parked in the middle of the floor under the dome.

Gojyo just looked at it. Somehow, one more bizarre occurrence on a day like today simply had no impact on him at all. He turned to Hakkai, who was studying the thing with a combination of surprise and amusement. "Hey, it's green," Gojyo remarked. "Your color." 

The jeep was parked with the driver's side door facing Hakkai. Gojyo went over and walked around the vehicle, giving it a cursory exterior inspection as he added cautiously, "Can you drive?"

"I learned the basics some time ago." Hakkai gave a rueful smile. "I've never owned a car, however, so I'm afraid it's been a while."

"That's okay," Gojyo said easily. "It'll all come back to you in no time."

Hakkai shot him a measuring look. "You'd trust me to drive?"

"Sure. It's your dragon, isn't it?"

Hakkai considered that a moment, then walked over to the jeep and laid a hand down on one of the green door panels. The vehicle chirped happily in response. Gojyo barely caught his words as Hakkai murmured, "Yes. I guess it is."

He had a tiny little smile on his face as he said it. It was one of those rare smiles, a true smile--one of pleased contentment. Gojyo ducked his head so he wouldn't have to look at it too long. Because the damn thing was contagious. He had to work very hard to keep his own face straight, so he wouldn't start grinning like an idiot from the spillover of the other man's quiet happiness.

"Hey," he said gruffly, "Quit spacing out and come over here and give me a hand with sleeping beauty. I'm getting sick and tired of this fucking glass palace." He didn't wait for Hakkai's cheerful affirmative, but turned and strolled back to where the monk lay on the marble dais. 

"It's time for us to go home."

+++++

A/N: Apologies to anyone who wanted to see Hakkai discovering his powers by blasting away youkai left and right. There's actually a pre-existing explanation for both the _ki_ blasts and the shield technique in the manga and/or anime. Although I simply love to speculate about the currently unwritten parts of the Saiyuki story, I *do* try to stick to cannon to the best of my knowledge. Many thanks to the folks who offered feedback. Attiquah Gensui, UltraM2000: Sorry for the evil cliffhanger(s). At least this chapter doesn't have one. ^_^ Bakazaru Boi, black-ocean, TK: Thanks for the comments. A little encouragement always goes a long way to inspire an author to sit down and write more. Chiefraz, amanda: Glad you liked Jeep's intro. It was different, even if it wasn't cannon. -_^ Blades of Ice, lizalou42: Hopefully Hakkai's dizziness is adequately explained--it wasn't intentional torture, just an attempt to form a logical progression from someone who can't sense _ki_ patterns to someone who can. (And lizalou42--the point about the rock was well-taken. Hmm. Maybe Gojyo was channeling Kenren...?) XD: Wow, thanks for the detailed review! It's always great to get specific feedback because it helps a lot with future writing projects. Thanks! -V


	5. Epilogue

Howan-hakase found Nii Jyeni at his desk, reading the newspaper and casually smoking a cigarette. His tacky bunny slippers were propped up on the top of his desk beside the remnants of a day-old cup of coffee and a computer half-hidden by taped up reminder notes. He appeared completely oblivious to the fact that he sat in the middle of a huge research laboratory, surrounded by a small fortune in state-of-the-art scientific equipment. Looking at him now, it seemed as if he had nothing better to do in the world than smoke and read the paper. 

Howan's lips thinned in annoyance. Truly, the man was insufferable.

To make matters worse, it seemed that he'd taken to bringing games to work with him now. She walked over, staring down at the hand-carved chessboard currently taking up residence on one of the cluttered corners of the desk beside the idiotic stuffed rabbit. "What's this?"

Nii looked up languidly, turning his attention away from the newspaper long enough to acknowledge her presence. "That? Oh, I've just been playing a little game." Nii gestured expansively at the board. "Would you care to play?"

Her eyes swept over the chessboard disdainfully. "How can you play with that? You're missing one of the pieces."

"Am I?" Nii glanced down at the board with some amusement. "Ah yes, I suppose that I am. Well, they're just so pretty, I can't help giving them away." He picked up one of the clear crystal pieces and held it out to her. "Would you like one, too?"

Howan refrained from touching the pawn, crossing her arms over her chest with a loud "Hmph." "Lady Gyoukumen Koshuu is asking for you. She wants an update on the status of the project."

"Ah. I wondered how long it would take, now that the precious prince of Houtou castle has returned from yet another failed attempt to locate any of the other scriptures of Heaven and Earth." Nii set the pawn back on the board, and picked up a knight, studying it thoughtfully for a moment. It vanished into his palm as he gave a lazy grin and got to his feet. In a tone laden with innuendo, he said, "Well, duty calls. It's a hardship to have my great skills employed so often to satisfy Lady Koshuu's demands. But we all must make sacrifices in the name of science." His gaze lingered on Howan as he added, "How very fortunate that there's someone around with such stamina."

Howan ground her teeth, keeping her temper in check by main force as she waited impatiently for him to leave.

Nii paused in the doorway of the lab, glancing down at the chess piece in his hand, as if only just now remembering that he held it. "You don't like games, do you Professor. A pity." With a shrug, he stuck the crystal knight away in the pocket of his lab coat. 

"People who don't learn to play never get what they want."

+++++

Gojyo and Hakkai found Sanzo in his office. They hadn't seen him two days earlier, when they'd come by the temple to drop off the monk they'd rescued. Sanzo had been out on some errand of his own at the time. Hakkai judged that whatever he'd been doing must have gone well, however. Sanzo seemed to be in a better mood, glowering at his paperwork with less antagonism than usual. Maybe the fresh air had done him some good.

His first comment upon seeing Hakkai was, "You found a pet."

Hakkai chuckled, and reached up to touch the neck of the small white dragon riding on his shoulder. "Yes. He seems quite happy to stay with us for a while." 

Beside him, Gojyo growled. "Yeah. You fed him. That was your first mistake." He shook his head. "You'd think you would have learned from Sanzo's 'pet'."

Elsewhere in the temple, Goku sneezed. 

Hakkai blithely ignored the comment, scratching the little dragon under the chin. "He's actually pretty convenient to have around. I don't know why, but he seems to turn into an automobile when you ask him nicely." 

"Hnh," Sanzo said, "Does it have a name?"

Hakkai pondered the matter for a moment. "Well, considering his other form, I thought we'd call him 'Jeep'."

"Jeep," Sanzo repeated heavily, with the faintest edge of disbelief.

"You don't like it? I thought it would be a good alternative to 'White Dragon'."

Sweatdrops appeared all around.

"So," Gojyo spoke up loudly, deliberately changing the subject, "how's our rescuee doing?"

"That monk? He's already left," said Sanzo. "We sent him on to Chou'An with an escort earlier this morning."

Hakkai looked at Sanzo in concern. "Was that a good idea? His injury was still quite serious."

"He insisted that he just wanted to finish what he had set out to do, and then go home as soon as possible." Sanzo didn't sound at all unhappy that the man was gone. He fixed Hakkai with a level gaze. "That monk claims to have been stabbed in the chest."

Hakkai shifted a little nervously under that penetrating stare. "Ah. Well, I'm afraid we were a little careless. It wasn't our intention to let him get stabbed...."

Sanzo interrupted. "With an injury like that, he should have died. Yet somehow, he didn't."

He had obviously already put two and two together on his own. However, just as obviously, he wasn't prepared to let Hakkai off the hook without a full confession. Hakkai rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling a bit sheepish. As if Sanzo didn't have enough to worry about with keeping an eye on him, he'd had to complicate things by going off and developing youkai powers. "Well, according to some books we found in that youkai library, I seem to have acquired some small ability to sense and manipulate _ki _energy." He held out his hand to demonstrate. As he concentrated, a small globe of colored light formed, hovering over his palm. 

"Hnh." Sanzo looked unimpressed. "Is that it?"

"For the moment." The light faded, and Hakkai lowered his hand. "I have a feeling that there may be more to it than that. There are different techniques one can practice, apparently, that help to build focus and control. I'll have to do some more reading on the subject to see what else I can learn." 

Sanzo only nodded. He, of all people, would understand the importance of learning to command one's own abilities. Hakkai had begun to take the whole thing very seriously after skimming through the _ki_ books the first time, when he'd realized that powers might not be such a good thing for those around him. He'd had unpleasant visions of a particularly bad nightmare causing him to accidentally blow up part of Gojyo's house. It had nearly caused him to volunteer to sleep out in a tent in the backyard. 

Sanzo's gaze shifted to Gojyo. "And what about you? Did any other strange things happen that I should know about?"

Gojyo favored him with a smirk. "Nope. A guy like me has already got all the charm and natural talents anyone needs to survive in this world."

"Ch."

Gojyo and Hakkai didn't stay much longer than that. If Sanzo had any further insight about the youkai they'd encountered, or the power that had been stored in the chess piece they'd brought back, he kept his thoughts to himself. 

Outside the temple walls, with the double doors closed solidly behind them, Gojyo paused to light up a cigarette. He exhaled smoke onto the wind, looking off into the distance across the shifting drifts of snow. "Does it seem to you that these errands we've been doing have been getting harder and harder as we go along?" he remarked.

Hakkai, standing only a few steps away, glanced over at him. "You've noticed it, too."

"Yeah. I can't shake this creepy feeling that we're being tested for something."

"Or trained for it." Hakkai gave a wry smile, looking down at the snow by his feet. "Yes, I know exactly what you mean."

Gojyo squinted up into the sky, taking another drag of his cigarette. "What kind of job do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Hakkai shrugged and turned away, as Jeep launched from his shoulder and winged over to where there was enough open space for him to transform. It didn't really bother him. In fact, there was an odd kind of satisfaction for him in the thought. Even if he could never repay the debts he owed, or gain full atonement for his sins, at least he had the opportunity to do what he could, taking things one day at a time and reaching out toward that unseen goal on the horizon. He cast a glance back over his shoulder at Gojyo. "It's not such a bad thing, is it?"

A faint grin plucked at the corners of Gojyo's mouth in response. He didn't look at all dismayed at the prospect of a tougher job ahead. Quite the contrary, he seemed like he was looking forward to it. "Nope," he said, stepping over to where the Jeep was parked, "I don't suppose it is."

+++++

A/N: The knight chess piece is, in fact, symbolic, from Saiyuki Reload tankouban 3--and I won't say any more than that, except it was the origin of the whole chess idea. ^_^ Lizalou42: Thanks for the commentary. It's nice to know that you enjoyed rooting for the boys! I'm also glad you liked the spell and the dialogue. (Those were the best parts to write, too.) Nightfall Rising: It was *really* tempting to describe Hakkai vs. the Minus Wave this time around, it really was. But you're absolutely right, so often in writing, "less is more". That's not to say that the episode might not turn up as flashback material in other fics, though. -_^ I sincerely appreciated the detailed feedback. *bows* Thank you. UltraM2000: Bingo! You're good! ^_^ Yes, the main culprit behind the scenes was Nii. And it was really good to know that things wrapped up neatly for the reader (one of the goals, with so many tangled plot-threads!) Attiquah Greenleaf: No more evil cliffies for this fic. Thanks for all your reviews. And thanks, everyone, for reading through 'till the end! *waves* -V


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